Networks
Networks are commonly thought to consist of the interconnection and interoperation of clients, servers, and intermediary nodes in a graph topology. It should be noted that the term “server” as used herein refers generally to a computer, other device, software, or combination thereof that processes and responds to the requests of remote users across a communications network. Servers serve their information to requesting “clients.” A computer, other device, software, or combination thereof that facilitates, processes information and requests, and/or furthers the passage of information from a source user to a destination user is commonly referred to as a “node.” Networks are generally thought to facilitate the transfer of information from source points to destinations. There are many forms of networks such as Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), Pico networks, etc.
Internet
The Internet is a network of networks. It is an interconnection of various and disparate networks that are disposed in communication with one another. This interconnectivity and intercommunications provided by the Internet is in large part facilitated through the use of common transmission protocols.
As Internet usage increases, the amount of information and/or services available on the Internet also increases. This makes the Internet a valuable information transportation vehicle.
Transmission Control Protocol-Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
The proliferation and expansion of computer systems, databases, and networks of computers has been facilitated by an interconnection of such systems and networks in an extraterritorial communications network commonly referred to as the Internet. The Internet has developed and largely employs the Transmission Control Protocol-Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). TCP/IP was developed by a Department of Defense (DoD) research project to interconnect networks made by various and varying network vendors as a foundation for a network of networks, i.e., the Internet. The development of TCP/IP was in part driven by a requirement by the DoD to have a network that will continue to operate even if damaged during battle, thus allowing for information to be routed around damaged portions of the communications network to destination addresses.
The Internet is a packet-switched network and thus, information on the Internet is broken up into pieces, called packets, and transmitted in packet form. The packets contain IP addressing information called headers, which are used by routers to facilitate the delivery of the packets from a source to a destination across intermediary nodes on the Internet. Upon arrival at the destination, the packets are reassembled to form the original message, and any missing packets are requested again.
The IP component of the protocol is responsible for routing packets of information based on a four byte addressing mechanism; the address is written as four numbers separated by dots, each number ranging from 0 to 255, e.g., “123.255.0.123”. IP addresses are assigned by Internet authorities and registration agencies, and are unique.
The TCP portion of the protocol is used for verifying that packets of information are correctly received by the destination computer from the source, and if not, to retransmit corrupt packets. Other transmission control protocols are also commonly used that do not guarantee delivery, such as User Datagram Protocol (UDP). The TCP/IP protocol is specified in IEEE/RFC1190, January 1991.
Object Exchange (OBEX) Protocol
OBEX is a session protocol and can be described as a binary HTTP protocol. An example of an OBEX server implementation may be OpenOBEX, which may be found at the website: sourceforge.net/projects/openobex.
The OBEX protocol and specification may be found in: IrOBEX, IrDA Object Exchange Protocol, Counterpoint Systems Foundry, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Mar. 18, 1999 (Version 1.2).
Bluetooth Protocol (BT)
Bluetooth is a wireless technology that operates in the unlicensed Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) radio band of 2.4 GHz. Bluetooth technology includes a number of protocols that allow Bluetooth enabled devices to operate in a peer to peer environment forming piconets.
The Bluetooth protocol and specification may be found in: Bluetooth system; Specification Volumes 1 and 2, Core and Profiles: Version 1.1, 22 Feb., 2001.